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Dunn trying to get out of slump

Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman said on Friday that he doesn’t plan on having Adam Dunn sit out the remaining three games of the season, because the skipper wants Dunn to reach the 40-home run plateau for the sixth year in a row.

However, entering Friday’s action against the Braves, Dunn finds himself in an 0-for-26 slump, while his batting average dipped to .266. Part of the problem, according to hitting coach Rick Eckstein, is he is not in the right position in the batter’s box and missing good pitches to hit.

“When he got his pitch to hit, he has missed it,” Eckstein said before Friday’s game. “That’s the biggest difference. It’s just getting back to the pitches in the zone he knows he could handle. He has to keep his swing short and through the ball.

“We are trying to get him back in a good direction. Right now he is coming off the ball too quick. The last couple of days he said that he felt much better.”

Dunn showed that he felt much better in the first inning Friday. With two outs, he doubled to left field in his first at-bat off right-hander Derek Lowe.

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